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Senior Aerothermal Engineer Verified today

Inversion Space · Playa Vista, CA · Mechanical · first seen 2026-08-13
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About Inversion Space

Inversion is an aerospace and defense company pioneering advanced reentry technology. The company's reentry spacecraft, Arc, is designed for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and national security missions requiring precise, controlled flight through the atmosphere. Inversion designs, manufactures, and integrates spacecraft under one roof.

The Role

As Senior Aerothermal Engineer, you will develop and database the aerothermal environment around reentry vehicles, combining high-fidelity CFD, engineering-level methods, and test data into database products that drive vehicle design.

You will:

  • Develop and maintain aerothermal environment databases spanning the full flight envelope of reentry vehicles
  • Run high-enthalpy CFD solutions at conditions anchoring the database, including flows in thermal-chemical non-equilibrium
  • Apply handbook and engineering-level heating estimation methods to populate trajectory and attitude space between anchor points
  • Fuse heating estimates from data sources of varying fidelity (CFD, engineering methods, ground test, flight data) into coherent database products with defined uncertainties and margins
  • Deliver environments that drive TPS sizing, structural design, and trajectory constraints, and support downstream users in applying them correctly
  • Build and mature tooling, automation, and data infrastructure behind database generation and delivery

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience
  • Typically 5+ years of experience in hypersonic, supersonic, reentry, or rocketry aerothermodynamic analysis
  • Experience running high-enthalpy flow solvers (US3D, DPLR, LAURA, Loci-CHEM, or similar)
  • Experience with handbook and engineering-level heating estimation methods (e.g. Fay-Riddell, Tauber, MINIVER-class tools, or similar correlations)
  • Strong fundamentals in hypersonic aerodynamics, boundary layer physics, and convective and radiative heat transfer
  • Proficiency in programming languages like Python, Fortran, C++, or MATLAB for analysis tooling and automation
  • Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products
  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance

Desired Qualifications

  • Master's or PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent field
  • Experience assembling heating estimates from data sources of varying fidelity into an overall database product used to drive vehicle design
  • Experience with uncertainty quantification and the definition of design margins for aerothermal environments
  • Experience integrating ground and flight test data into aerothermal vehicle models
  • Experience with boundary layer transition prediction and its treatment in heating environments
  • Familiarity with Fidelity Pointwise, Link3D, or equivalent meshing software
  • Experience with modeling radiative heating using radiation transport tools
  • Familiarity with TPS sizing and material response tools (e.g. FIAT, CHAR) as downstream consumers of environments
  • Experience with high-performance computing environments and large-scale CFD campaign automation
  • Experience contributing to an aerothermal database effort from early design stages through first flight
  • Involvement in planning, leading, and/or post-processing wind tunnel or arc-jet test campaigns
  • Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams

Location and Compensation

This position requires in-office presence at Inversion's headquarters in Playa Vista, California. California annual base salary: $137,000-$193,000. Individual pay determined on a case-by-case basis based on role, level, location, market data, interviews, job-related skills, experience, and internal equity.

ITAR Compliance

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.